vagrantstoryfandomcom-20200215-history
Short Sword
The Short Sword is the fourth Tier of the Sword line; the first Sword that is neither a Starting Weapon nor a Guaranteed Weapon and the first that is an ingredient of a regular Progression, with Firangi to create Shamshir. Its own Progression is stunted, though, as The rest of the Starting Weapons are usable only to devolve higher-Tier weapons. It is dropped at the standard low rate of 8/255 as early as Sanctum, and at the standard high rate of 26/255 as late as Town Center South. Creating the Short Sword is an irregular, (non-consecutive, 1st and 3rd tier) recipe that combines Spatha with Rapier to make a Short Sword. Short Sword is an Abdicator that will not create a Firangi with a Rapier, nor any other Sword. Moreover, Firangi can only be made by Devolving it from other swords, or by Morphing it from other Blade types, usually Daggers. Most of the early Short Swords drop from Ashley's encounters with the Undead, both victims and tools of the Death Magic of Lea Monde known by Ivalice's people, somewhat erroneously, as the Dark. Firangi does not drop until Underdark Fishmarket in Undercity West, at 8/255, from a Zombie Knight that spawns in the same room as the Giant Crab boss, after it is killed. Since the earlier Rapier is the only Pierce Type Sword, and Bat, Silver Wolf and Hellhound enemies are all weaker to Pierce than the other Types of damage, then Rapier is well designated a Beast / Dragon weapon. This is ideal, as Dragons are almost uniformly weakest to Pierce. However, this means that the Rapier or its descendants would one day have to merge with the Dagger or Polearm Design line, to keep Pierce Type damage. Short Sword is Edged; it drops with just about every Hilt, and only the Knuckle Guard is significantly lower in Edged than other damage types. Considerations of Gems are far more important. Class, Affinity and Type are all divided by four hundred and then multiplied by total Strength to determine Damage. For example, Swept Hilt has zero Blunt, six Edged, and two Piercing, for up to 1.5% times total Strength, compared with 3.75% for Minor Elemental gems such as Sylphid Topaz, and the same for Minor Nemesis gems such as Iocus. Spathas will not be able to be combined with Rapier into a Short Sword until later when the more advanced Workshop is found, but they drop at the low rate of 8/255 from enemies in the Wine Cellar, Catacombs and Sanctum. One Zombie Fighter that appears in Smokebarrel Stair in the Wine Cellar after Ashley visits Room of Cheap Red Wine drops a Bronze Spatha at 16/255. Another appears on a Zombie Fighter in Room of Rotten Grapes much later, after Ashley kills the Lich in Undercity East. The combination between Rapier, a third Tier Sword, and Spatha, a first Tier, is an irregular one, with Spatha taking the place of Scimitar, the second Tier. This makes Spatha a Volunteer of the Usurper type. It is not possible to integrate the Starting Weapons other than the Scramasax "Soul Kiss" Dagger into any combinations with Damascus until the New Game Plus, when the Godhands workshop is accessed. Combinations With so few weapons to choose from at the start of the game, it is likely that this blade will acquire a great deal of Class bonuses, so it is worthwhile searching for a good combine target. Progression in the Sword Design line with Rapier and Short Sword is highly recommended. Although the Rapier can be improved very early, the second improvement does not come until much later. This is one of very few and weak reasons for making a Mismatch to change this Sword into another Design. If this course, which is not recommended, be taken, and since Polearms are somewhat rare, perhaps a combination of a Sabre Mace Heavy Mace with Rapier to get a Glaive. A low-Tier result. Heavy Maces are common and have very few tiers. Progressing in the Sword Design A Short Sword is able to combine ideally with the Firangi in the chest in Forest River in Snowfly Forest into a Shamshir, with another Firangi into a Falchion and so on. Firangis are also useful for combining with the third starting weapon, the [Rapier. There is a 16/255 5% drop of a Firangi in Underdark Fishmarket in Undercity West, after the Crab boss there is killed. Later, there is a 26/255 10% drop for Firangi from the Exequator Crimson Blade in Rue Aliano. Firangi cannot be made from Short Sword; Firangi first drops randomly at Underdark Fishmarket in Undercity West. Progression is a superior combination. Combining Spatha with Rapier to make a Short Sword is an irregular recipe, as the tiers are non-consecutive, 1st and 3rd tier. Spathas will not be able to be combined with Rapier into a Short Sword until later when the more advanced Workshop is found, but they drop at the low rate of 8/255 from enemies in the Wine Cellar, Catacombs and Sanctum. Spatha takes the place of Scimitar, the second Tier. This makes Spatha a Volunteer of the Usurper type. See also * Scimitar * Sword Combinations Category:Short Weapons Category:Sword Category:Tier 4 Blade